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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the direct follow-up to the first game, serving as both a sequel and a prequel. This time the gameplay is centered around a bigger cast of characters who each have their own point of view regarding the events. Dennis Wedin, the game's co-creator has stated that most of the gameplay mechanics are intact and that players will get to experiment with new weapons, new and more gory finishing moves and a complete story arc that will end the series. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number currently costs $14.99. A collector's edition was also released for $60 at iam8bit.com, and includes the game, its soundtrack on a three 180 gram vinyl and digital format, and a "Phone Hom" telephone card with a code to unlock the game. Link to the Steam store page. Gameplay The gameplay is mostly identical to that of the first game. Two of the original masks make a return, while new masks will offer new and exciting abilities and playstyles. New tweaks to normal gameplay have been added, including executing with guns. The difficulty has increased as well, along with two levels implemented (Normal and Hard) for people who believed the first game was either too hard or easy. Hotline Miami 2 has a Hard difficulty mode, which can only be unlocked when the player beats the game. In Extreme, enemies are more difficult to take down, and some abilities may be taken away from the player, such as enemy-locking. Hotline Miami 2 has a lot more weapons than Hotline Miami: with returning weapons from Hotline Miami, cut weapons, and entirely new weapons. A level editor is scheduled to release in Spring. Story SPOILER WARNING: PLOT DETAILS BELOW Hotline Miami 2 takes place before and after the events of the original, focusing more on the latter, between October and December 1991. The game suggests that Jacket's interpretation is the canonical ending of the first game. In this version of events, Jacket is unwittingly manipulated into killing off the leadership of the Russian Mob by a neo-nationalist organization known as 50 Blessings. After the previous game's ending, Jacket was captured by the authorities and put on trial, and his exploits have achieved national infamy. The persona of "Richard", a mysterious figure in a rooster mask that occasionally appeared to Jacket in the original game, has been appearing to certain individuals who are involved with 50 Blessings and Jacket's murder spree. The game features multiple points of view that take place at different points in time. The multiple protagonists are: The Pig Butcher a.k.a Martin Brown A fictionalized version of Jacket in the slasher/exploitation film "Midnight Animal," portrayed by a famed actor named Martin Brown who is in the throes of a mental breakdown. The Fans Though most people view Jacket as a murderer, other people became swept into the idea of masked vigilantes, and obsess over the phone calls Jacket received. A gang of murderous vigilantes who view Jacket as a hero and try to emulate him. Playable fans include Tony (Tiger Mask), Mark (Bear Mask), siblings Alex and Ash (Swan Masks), and Corey (Zebra Mask). Notably, Alex and Corey represent the first playable female characters in the series. Their arc portrays them as they fall deeper into depravity and violence, while Corey becomes more worried and disillusioned with the group. With no Russian mobsters to kill, the group slaughters various gangs of thugs in hopes of attention. Detective Manny PardoCategory:Games A police detective who is investigating Jacket's murders, among others. He is close friends with Evan. Manny spends the game killing groups of thugs in similar vigilante style to Jacket; he uses his police badge to claim self defense. He also visits murder scenes which feature brutally murdered victims along with notes stating they "didn't want to do it". He is named after a psychopathic Florida cop who went on a three month killing spree in 1986 in which he killed only drug dealers. Evan Evan is a writer who is writing a book about the events of the first Hotline Miami. His story starts in a courthouse where he is seen taking notes. His playstyle revolves around trying not to get people hurt, but if he crosses a certain threshold, he will use deadly force. His attacks are initially non-lethal, but executing two downed enemies will cause him to take off his jacket and enter an adrenaline-induced rage mode. The Henchman A Russian mobster with no masks, similar to Pardo and Evan, who seems to be held in high regards by the The Son, but wants to get out of the game. His segments start midway through the 1991 arc, during which he completes one last job for The Son. The Son A man who also doesn't wear a mask, notable for having the abilities of all of the fans except Alex and Ash. He is the son of The Russian Boss from the previous game, and the boss of The Henchman. The Soldier A special forces Lieutenant stationed in Hawaii in 1985 alongside the protagonist of the first game. He is a younger version of "Beard", and serves alongside Jake in his unit, the Ghost Wolves, in the midst of a losing war with the USSR on Hawaii. Richter The rat-masked killer from the first game, first appeared Hotline Miami as the man who kills Jacket's girlfriend and sends him to the hospital. His story is told through flashbacks during a phone call with Evan, who he tells of his experience in 50 Blessings. Jake The original owner of the Jake mask (found dead in the Hotline Miami level Hot & Heavy) returns in Hotline Miami 2. An obese man with a choice of snake masks in 1989. He is an unwitting member of 50 Blessings, like Jacket, though he views his mysterious employers with contempt and desires to find the truth. He is found dead in the original game, and his story in Wrong Number parallels the plot of the first game. Ending ReceptionCategory:GamesCategory:Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number The game received generally positive reviews from critics. It received an aggregated score of 86.25% on GameRankings based on 12 reviews and 81/100 on Metacritic based on 18 reviews. Danny O'Dwyer from GameSpot gave the game a 9/10, praising its techno and intense soundtrack, entertaining, engaging and challenging gameplay, well-designed controls, striking and vibrant visuals, improved enemy placement, lengthy story, as well as the huge variety of characters, levels and locations. He also praised the game for allowing players to use multiple approaches towards a single objective. However, he criticized the lack of weapon customization. He summarized the game by saying that "This is a confident follow-up which improves upon the original in almost every way. This is a tremendously stylish game which entertains throughout, and delights in forcing you out of your comfort zone. Chris Carter from Destructoid also awarded the game a 9/10, praising the open-ended gameplay, engrossing story, accessible interface and level-creator, as well as the game for allowing players to utilize creativity and strategy in every level. However, he criticized the poor AI. He summarized the game by saying that "Hotline Miami 2 may not be as "profound" as its predecessor, but it's still a bloody good time." Chloi Rad from IGN gave the game a 8.8/10, praising its high replay value, engaging story, sizable maps, rich characters' backstory, character-specific abilities, the improved lock-on system as well as the level-design, which demands players a new and more cautious approach towards dangers. However, she criticized the occasionally frustrating levels. She summarized the review by saying that "Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a great game and a worthy sequel. It’s more confident in its style, storytelling ability, and level design than the first game." Steven Burns from VideoGamer.com gave the game a 7/10, while praising the narrative as well as the brutal violence featured in the game, which he stated "has tread a fine, sophisticated line between titillation, power, and reflection, an integral part of both narrative and mechanics.", he criticized the over-sized maps, as well as the game for being overly difficult, frustrating as enemy attack players where they can't be seen from the camera angle. and restrictive as the game enforced players to play on certain way very often. Chris Thursten from PC Gamer gave the game a 57/100, criticizing the meaningless characters, alienating rape scene, rigid playstyle restriction, inconsistent AI, frustrating and unavoidable death as well as technical issues. He summarized the review by saying that "Restrictive design decisions sap the energy from a series that revels in it, and technical issues deal the killing blow." Category:Weapons